As Britain tumbles into another conflict in the Middle East, this book provides a timely look at peace and how to achieve it. Published last October to coincide with the 80th birthday of Johan Galtung, the often celebrated and occasionally controversial founder of the academic discipline of Peace Studies, the book takes a scattershot look at a range of topics related to Galtung's research, interests and life.

Roughly speaking Experiments With Peace is made up of three different kinds of essays – personal reminisces of adventures shared with Galtung, like the time he travelled to India by land to attend a seminar to celebrate the anniversary of Ghandi’s birth, which give the impression of a man with remarkable determination and seemingly boundless energy; discussions of specific topics or areas of the world, like the essays on peacebuilding in Thailand and Nepal; and more abstract, theoretical articles on topics that Galtung himself often pioneered.

There are also occasional curveballs, veering off on their own logic. Some of these, like Vithal Rajan’s recounting of the history of the Buddhist king Ashoka, seem rather out of place and forgettable; others, like SP Udayakumar’s free-flowing riff on the similarities and differences between sex and war and the different kinds of love enumerated in the Kama Sutra, are wonderful examples of the creative energy that can be unleashed and captured when we think about and discuss these topics.

While many of the more basic articles provide useful outlines of topics like peace journalism for those, like myself, who are uninitiated but curious, the standout essays are those that look at the topic of peace from a slightly askew angle. These include Ivana Milojevic’s discussion of the violent discourses that shape our culture’s ideas of masculinity, and the peaceful alternatives that could be encouraged instead; and Ramon Lopez-Reyes’ co-optation of Freud and Jung to explain and circumvent humanity’s seemingly endless drive towards war and destruction.

In the end, the combination of introductory articles, biography and rather heavy-going academia make it difficult to see exactly who the book is aimed at – specialists will think it too airy, while beginners may find some of the articles to be a bit of a plod. But despite its faults, the end result remains intriguing, and almost everyone will find something to pique their interest among the many topics, viewpoints and methods covered. In his essay on nuclear disarmament David Krieger states that a "movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons will require education, advocacy and persistence". The movement for peace as a whole requires the same, and the stories and ideas in this book, as well as the life of the man whom it celebrates, show that the possibilities for all three are endless if we are brave enough to face them.

- Steven Heywood, People and Planet

Experiments with Peace:

Turning 80 24 October 2010 I received a wonderful Festschrift, edited by two of [my friends], Jörgen Johansen and John Y. Jones (Experiments With Peace, Pamabazuka Press) with a content so rich that it is almost incredible. After a deep introduction by the editors and beautiful forewords by Desmond Tutu and Narayan Desai (the son of Gandhi's secretary) follow no less than 34 excellent essays, also serving as correctives on my own work. They will be reflected in this book, but the Festschrift is a major peace studies text in its own right.